Qualidade microscópica de alfaces (Lactuca sativaL.) oriundas de diferentes formas de cultivo e minimamente processadas comercializadas em municípios das regiões nordeste e metropolitana do estado de São Paulo

Introduction: Currently, lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) stands out for being the most consumed vegetable in Brazil. In public health, most etiologic agents of enteric diseases are transmitted through contaminated fruits and vegetables. Objective: To verify the quality of lettuces, through microscopic analysis, comparing the results of the different types of cultivation and processing. Method: 84 samples of lettuce produced by three cultivation methods (traditional, organic, hydroponic) and minimally processed lettuce, commercialized in municipalities in the northeast and metropolitan regions of the state of Sao Paulo, were analyzed. The research of macroscopic foreign matter was first carried out; later, to verify the presence of parasitic structures and other microscopic foreign matter, a spontaneous sedimentation technique was used. Results: The results revealed that the lettuce samples of the three types of cultivation showed a high occurrence of foreign matter (total of 87.0% positive samples), as well as the presence of parasites (total of 20.0% positive samples). Regarding minimally processed lettuce, the percentage of positivity for the presence of foreign matter and parasites was 58.0%. For this type of product, lower rates were expected, given that they are products previously cleaned and ready for consumption. Conclusions: The results of the present study alert to the importance of cleaning procedures for different types of lettuce cultivation prior to consumption. Regarding minimally processed lettuces, the results show that corrective actions must be taken in the sanitation process by producers and / or traders. As for laboratory analysis, it is still necessary to constantly improve analytical methods that enable better detection of parasites in food.